Ale Pedergnana enters her 18th season on the Navy women's tennis coaching staff in 2025-26, being elevated from assistant coach to associate head coach in the summer of 2022.
Highlighted by the program’s first Patriot League Championship in 2024, Pedergnana has helped Navy to a 315-113 (.736) overall record during the program's first 17 years at the varsity level, a 59-16 (.787) Patriot League regular season mark and eight appearances in the Patriot League Championship match.
A mix of youth and an experienced senior class found the Mids putting together another impressive campaign in 2024-25, going 17-12 overall and 4-2 in league play while posting numerous individual successes. With Emily Tannenbaum reaching the ITA Atlantic Regional’s singles round-of-16 for the second-straight year to lead a group of six ITA Regional qualifiers, Tannenbaum then captured the singles crown and partnered with Parvathi Shanker to claim the doubles title at the Patriot League’s qualifying tournament for the ITA Conference Masters event. The pairing then went to the national event and reached the quarterfinals, falling just two wins shy of a NCAA Doubles Tournament berth while earning the Mids a trio of spots in the ITA’s final fall individual rankings. The spring then featured the program’s 300th all-time win in the opening weekend as well as another victory over service academy rival Air Force a month later, while Tannenbaum continued to break multiple program records.
Honors-wise, the 2024-25 season saw Tannenbaum continue to etch her name in Navy and Patriot League history, being selected First-Team All-League for the fourth-straight year and earning Patriot League Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons, also partnering with Olivia Fermo to claim the program’s second-straight Patriot League Doubles Team of the Year award. Additionally, Tannenbaum became the first tennis player to win the Naval Academy Athletic Association’s Vice Admiral Lawrence Sword for Women, the highest honor for a graduating female athlete at the Academy, and closed out at No. 20 in 2025 Year-End ITA Atlantic Region Singles Rankings.
A historic 2023-24 season featured Pedergnana helping Puryear guide the Midshipmen to the program’s first Patriot League Championship, delivering Navy’s 10th 20-win season in just 16 years. Posting an incredible 21-1 home record, the Mids saw several individual records fall and had five different players earn at least 12 singles wins in dual season. The spring of 2024 also had other significant milestones for Navy, as the Mids defeated Army twice in the same season for the first time in program history and delivered its third-straight Star Match victory, while the team’s title-match victory over Boston University marked Navy’s first win over the Terriers in the all-time series.
Individually, Pedergnana helped Samantha Johns and Sia Chaudry become the first pairing in program history to claim Patriot League Doubles Team of the Year. Emily Tannenbaum also appeared on the All-Patriot League First Team for the third-straight season, while Johns joined her on the First Team and Chaudry took home all-league second-team distinction for the second time. Additionally, Navy ended the campaign ranked as the No. 10 team in the ITA’s Atlantic Region while Tannenbaum came in at No. 12 on the regional singles rankings and Johns and Chaudry were slated No. 10 in the region’s year-end doubles poll.
The 2022-23 season saw multiple program records broken en route to a 19-6 overall record, a 4-1 Patriot League mark and berth in the league semifinals for the Mids. Under Pedergnana’s guidance alongside head coach Keith Puryear, the Mids also claimed victory in the Star Match over rival Army for the second-straight season and the third time in the last four seasons, while Navy defeated fellow service academy Air Force in the first meeting between the two programs as well.
Individually, Pedergana mentored the continued dominance of Emily Tannenbaum, as the sophomore became just the second Midshipman to take home Patriot League Player of the Year honors in addition to being named First Team All-Patriot League for the second consecutive season. Joining Tannenbaum in all-league honors was Second Teamer Sia Chaudry, making it back-to-back seasons with a Navy freshman earning All-PL distinction. Tannenbaum also set or matched three single-season records by the end of the campaign: tallying a program-best 51 combined wins, tying the school record of 29 singles victories and setting the new program high with 16 singles wins at the No. 1 position.
During the 2021-22 season, Pedergnana helped guide the Midshipmen to their ninth season in program history with at least 20 wins at 22-6. Navy also posted a 4-1 record in Patriot League play, which culminated in the Mids making an appearance in the 2022 Patriot League Tournament semifinals.
Among the highlights of the four Patriot League victories was a 4-1 victory for Navy over rival Army in the Star Match on April 2, securing the second win in three Star competitions for the Navy women’s tennis program over their rival. Additionally, in a 7-0 victory over Lehigh to open Patriot League competition on March 26, Pedergnana assisted Puryear in securing his 250th victory at the helm of the Navy women’s program.
Following a stellar campaign by the Mids, Kacey Moore and Emily Tannenbaum earned All-Patriot League honors, in addition to Tannenbaum being named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
In 2020-21, Pedergnana helped Navy to a record of 7-4 overall and a 3-2 record in Patriot League matches. She also helped the Mids to an appearance in the Patriot League Tournament Final as the No. 3 seed. Navy’s championship match appearance was the program’s seventh over the program’s 12 seasons. She also coached a trio of All-Patriot League honorees in Kacey Moore (first team), Jillian Taggart (first team) and Meghana Komarraju (second team).
During her 12th season at Navy, Pedergnana helped the Mids to their best start since 2012 as they went 16-2 to start the year. Navy’s early run was sparked by an 11-match winning streak, which ranks fourth in the program record books. In the shortened season, the Mids posted a record of 17-4 overall. Pedergnana also helped freshman Samantha Choi to become the first player in program history to be ranked by the ITA nationally as she was ranked 114th following the fall season.
In 2018-19, the Mids hit the 20-win mark for the eighth time in nine seasons and finished the year with a 23-9 record to post the third-most wins in program history. Navy picked up its second-straight Star victory after beating Army in West Point, 4-3. The Mids also appeared in the Patriot League Tournament for the seventh time and made their seventh appearance in the tournament semifinals.
Pedergnana helped coach Kaylah Hodge to Second-Team All-Patriot League honors for the first time in her career and Ansofi Wreder to second team accolades for the second time in three years.
In 2017-18, Navy won a school-record 27 matches (27-6) and made its sixth appearance in the Patriot League Championship match as the tournament’s top seed. Navy also posted a 7-0 win over Army West Point in the 2017-18 Star Match.
Senior captain Amanda Keller received All-Patriot League First-Team honors in 2017-18 to finish her career as a four-time all-league honoree, while sophomore Emily Louie-Meadors was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team.
In 2016-17, Navy was 18-12 on the season and 4-2 in Patriot League play, advancing to the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament for the eighth straight season. Amanda Keller, Josie Rogers and Ansofi Wreder were each named to the 2017 All-Patriot League Second Team. Additionally, Keller and Kaylah Hodge were ranked ninth in the year-end ITA Atlantic Region rankings in 2017. It marked the first time that Navy individuals had been ranked in the year-end ITA singles or doubles regional rankings.
Pedergnana helped Navy to a 20-10 overall record in 2015-16 and a 4-2 mark in the Patriot League. Navy reached the 20-win mark for the sixth straight season. Navy defeated rival Army, 4-1, in the Patriot League Semifinals to earn its fifth appearance in the Patriot League Championship match. Amanda Keller (first team) and Claudia Mackenzie (second team) received All-Patriot League honors.
In 2014-15, Pedergnana helped Navy to a 20-7 overall record and Navy beat Army for the first time in series history with its 4-3 Star Match win at West Point. Navy posted its fifth-straight 20-win season and, with its 4-0 conference record, Navy went undefeated in Patriot League play for the third time in program history.
Navy received the No. 1 seed for the Patriot League Tournament and carried a 12-match winning streak into the tournament championship match, where the Mids fell to Boston University. Three Mids, Logan Antill, Amanda Keller and Kristine Rojo, earned All-Patriot League Second-Team Honors.
In 2013-14, Pedergnana helped Navy to a 21-8 overall record and the program's fourth straight 20-win season. Navy advanced to the Patriot League Semifinals and a 7-0 sweep of Loyola on April 13 gave Navy's its 100th program win in just five varsity seasons.
Three Mids earned All-Patriot League honors in 2013-14 with senior Erin Snook being named to the all-league first team, while senior captain Darien Sears and sophomore Sam Droop were both selected to the all-league second team. Additionally, sophomore Mikaela Carlson was named to the Patriot League All-Academic Team, becoming the first Navy women's tennis player to earn academic all-league honors.
In 2012-13, with their first full recruiting class serving as the team's leaders as seniors, the squad compiled a 25-5 record, setting a school record for wins. After starting the year with a 2-3 record, the Mids ran off a school-record 17-straight wins and would finish the year by winning 23 of its last 25 matches. The Mids reached the Patriot League Tournament finals for the third straight year and finished the year ranked 10th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Atlantic region rankings. Three players earned all-Patriot League accolades, including 2013 Patriot League Player of the Year Emani Decquir, marking the program’s first major award winner.
Pedergnana has been instrumental in Navy's success over the last six years, serving as a dynamic recruiter and helping Navy land several highly-regarded classes according to TennisRecruiting.net. She played a vital role in Navy's second class, which was ranked as the 25th-best mid-major recruiting class in the country.
Pedergnana joined head coach Keith Puryear as they led Navy through the transition from becoming a club power to a force on the Patriot League level.
Pedergnana began as an assistant coach at UMBC in the fall of 2006 after four outstanding years on the courts for the Retrievers. The duo of Puryear and Pedergnana earned America East Coaching Staff of the Year honors for both men's and women's tennis in the 2006-07 campaigns after leading the men's team to their first America East Championship and the women's team to the conference finals.
Pedergnana put together an outstanding four-year playing career on the tennis courts for the Retrievers. As a freshman, Pedergnana won 27 matches and was named all-Northeast Conference. She then earned all-America East honors in 2004 and gradually rose to the top of the UMBC "ladder" and played at number one singles during her junior and senior seasons. As a senior, she won her 100th career match in UMBC's most impressive win of the year, a 4-3 triumph over Army. The native of Queens, N.Y., won her last 11 singles matches of the season and finished the campaign with an impressive 13-4 record.
At the junior level, Pedergnana was ranked as high as fifth in the nation in doubles, was in the top 50 in the nation in singles and in the top five in the Eastern section. She won a bronze ball at the 2002 Winter Super Nationals and a silver ball at the 2006 USTA National Women's Open Indoor Championship in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., both in doubles competition.
Pedergnana was named one of two Outstanding Senior Female Athletes of the Year at the 2006 UMBC Varsity Awards ceremony. Pedergnana is a member of the UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame (Class of 2014) and the Red & Blue Terrier Ring of Honor (Class of 2014) of her high school, St. Francis Prep.
Outside of coaching at Navy, Pedergnana also coached American tennis professional Alison Riske at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio against Venus Williams in August of 2017.
Pedergnana graduated from UMBC with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2006 and also received a master's degree in adolescent and sports psychology in 2010. Pedergnana also completed her PhD in Behavior Analysis in Psychology in 2020 from Capella University.
She resides in Annapolis, Md.
